Little old double barreled pistol

[broadaxe]

Just to support my colleagues here: Belgian two-barrells box-lock boot gun. I see them occasionaly even here (Israel) as family heirlooms and field finds (in bad shape). Along the 19th century Belgium was a major supplier of both small and large arms to the region. Would you like to see a Liege 3-ton muzzle loader?

[Maurice]

Originally Posted by broadaxe

Just to support my colleagues here: Belgian two-barrells box-lock boot gun. I see them occasionaly even here (Israel) as family heirlooms and field finds (in bad shape). Along the 19th century Belgium was a major supplier of both small and large arms to the region. Would you like to see a Liege 3-ton muzzle loader?

Thanks for the confirmation!
Sure, would like to see the muzzle loader!

Rg,
Maurice

[Matchlock]

Hi Maurice,

Your little double-barrel percussion pistol belongs to a well-known group of cheap Liège-made Belgian mass production firearms which were used as noise makers to scare off starlings fron vineyards (German: Weinbergpistole). They were almost identically manufactured from the 1870's thru the 1940's and came either single- or double-barreled.

Best,
Michael

[broadaxe]

Here you go: this giant is mounted on the wall of old Acre, length is 2.75m, bore is ~230mm.

[SERGIU]

Maurice,
No such weapons were ever made in Romania (wallachia or Moldavia) but here in the former austro-hungarian province of Banat we could find a number of this typical boxlock pistols , mainly belgians, but according to marks on the barrels, also german-made pistols and even hungarian. They came cheap, and we found anouncements in local 1880-1890 newspapers for arms dealers who still selled them along with other obsolete small arms like lefaucheux pinfire pepperboxes or one-barrel boxlock pistols. (dealer, Dusan Lazics, Zapolya street in Timisoara, prices: belgian bulldog 5 shots 3,50-5,00 fl.; small velodog revolver engraved 4,00-6,00 fl; boxlock pistol 1,50-2,00 fl)
But all the boxlock pistols in our museum arsenal have octogonal barrels.

[fernando]

Speaking of Belgium (Liege) cheap stuff, this is a (non extreme) approach to how far those gun smiths could go in the XVIII century, when it came to a quality compromise.
This pistol, marked "London", could well be an example made in England, as far as quality is concerned, though it is beleived to have been made in Liege, most probably commissioned by a London retailer ... such conclusion being just because it has no British proof marks, which were a must, even in those days; we know that the English were most obedient to such concept, since long before this period. On the other hand, at such time, Liege gunmakers were not (so) obliged to proof mark their production.
This example still falls into the Queen Anne range, although its barrel is not the turn off type, reason why it is provided with a ramrod. Some authors say that this was the type to be loaded with small shot, to use in the dark and at short distance, not missing the target.

.

[Matchlock]

Hi 'Nando,

Very nice sample, that one!

I would date it to the 1760's-70, so strictly speaking it does not really belong to the real Queen Anne group any longer, which usually comprises the late 1600's thru the early 1700's. Moreover, the Queen Anne butts are significantly rounded in a bulbous shape.
I realize, of course, that common language use summarizes much later types among the Q.A. type, even at auction houses.

For a better understanding, I attach images of a 'real' Queen Anne pistol of ca. 1710-20; I just googled them.
And a colored engraving of the Queen of ca. 1706-10.

Best,
Michl